As one of the online mentors / coaches in the "12 Days of Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness" promo and the "New You for the New Year" challenge, I'm going set an example and begin posting here. I'm not new to this concept; I've kept a daily training and nutrition journal for quite some time now. I've just never posted any of it here before. And while this will be more of a blog style journal, and not quite as detailed as the one I keep separately, I'm sure many of you will still find some benefit in reading it.

Last edited by MichelleRisley on Mon Jan 02, 2012 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

I love hearing that I've been an inspiration to people. I just want everyone to know that I'm not any different than anyone else. If I was able to do it, then YOU can, too! Yes, it takes discipline and hard work. But nothing worth having usually comes very easily.

So come on people, let's do this! Let's all become wonderful examples of what being vegan can look like and feel like! : )

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Morning weight: 114 lbs (I need to get % body fat done soon to get a baseline...My weight is a little up from some of the Holiday yummies I've indulged in a bit ...I'm looking at an early June show, so it's still way too early to think about leaning out...I'm guessing, since I've put on some muscle and stayed fairly lean, I will have no more than 8-10 lbs to lose for the show.)

Meal 2 (post-workout):Immediately followed workout with a green smoothie made with spinach, kale, banana, apple, pea protein powder, glutamine, BCAAs. (For those of you not familiar with making green smoothies, a Vitamix is what you need! It's a high-powered, high-speed blender that does soooooo much more than just blending. It can replace several kitchen appliances, depending on which model you purchase. They are a little expensive, but worth every penny. I purchased a factory refurbished Vitamix about two years ago. And it came with a 7-year warranty. If this is something you're interested in, let me know. I have a friend who may be able to get you a code for free shipping. )

Morning weight: 112.6 lbsI'm almost back to my pre-Holidays weight. It's coming off quickly, despite the fact that my macros haven't changed, which means most of it was water retention. My body is a sponge and retains a lot of water when I'm not eating clean or if I'm even only slightly dehydrated. I didn't deviate from my macro totals at all during the holidays; I factored in everything I ate. The macros the past few days are exactly the same as I ate during the Holidays. The only difference: I've been eating clean and drinking enough water...See what big a difference that can make?! I've lost 1.4 lbs in two days without changing my macro totals at all. And I've only done cardio once in the past week (yesterday).

Training: back and bis (no cardio)

Warmup:5 min on eliptical

Underhand rows with ez curl bar 5 x 10

Partial dead lifts 6 x 8

Decline db pullovers 5 x 10

Superset: 5 x 10 eachDb rowsSeated cable rows

Ez bar curls 5 x 10

Hammer curls 4 x 15, plus 1 drop set to failure

Stretching:10 minutes

Nutrition:

I am heading to bed...I have an early day (well, early for me LOL) tomorrow and it's going to be a busy one!...So I'm just going to post my macros, rather than detail each meal.

Carbs: 306 gmProtein: 150 gmFat: 66 gm

Water: 5 liters

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

My weight is still dropping and I'm now lower than my pre-Holidays weight. I was supposed to do cardio (intervals) today. But since my weight is lower than it needs to be, NO CARDIO TODAY. From the progress photos I took this morning, it doesn't appear that I've lost any muscle. In fact, it looks like I may have gained a little size. If my weight continues to drop over the next day or two, I will increase my macros slightly. Today is also a scheduled rest day from weight training.

Nutrition:

Meal 1:Smoothie with brown rice protein, banana, pear, glutamine

Meal 2:Apple with raw almond butter

Meal 3:Quinoa and broccoli, curried cawliflower, seitan

Meal 4:Chocolate "mousse" made with silken tofu, raw cacao, dates

Meal 5:Broccoli chowder, black beans, avocado slices

Meal 6:Red beans and rice (throwing in some cajun style meals as we get closer to the BCS Championship game---GEAUX TIGERS!)

Morning weight: 112.2 lbsThat's more like it...LOL...up by 0.4 lbs...It is normal and typical for me to flutuate by as much as a pound or two, up or down, from day to day. This is especially true when I'm working night shifts, and I don't weigh until I wake up in the afternoon (as this would be my "morning" after working all night, and sleeping most of the day). But dropping consistently, as I had been for almost a week, is something I only want to see when I'm actually trying to lose weight (body fat). I am working night shifts tonight and tomorrow night, so I expect my weight to be around 114 lbs when I wake up tomorrow afternoon.

Okay...I'm off to it...Very busy day today, training in the afternoon, then working until 7:30am Saturday morning. I will update when I can. Have an awesome day, everyone!

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Updated entry for 1/6/12:I'm going to continue to be a bit behind and less detailed in my entries for the next few days. I began a block of shifts at the hospital on Thursday (evening shift), and then two night shifts on Friday and Saturday (getting off work Sunday morning and sleeping until afternoon). Then it's ON as I'm off until Thursday. I will have lots to catch up on, and of course I will be cheering for my boys in PURPLE & GOLD on Monday night. LSU-BAMA in the Superdome, New Orleans....GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Morning weight: 112.2 lbs

Nutrition:

Total macros:Carbs 295 gmProtein 152 gmFat 67 gm

Total water:5 liters

Training:

Currently, my weight training consists of a 3-day split, training major body parts once per week. Then I add an extra day, usually with supersets and giant sets, to train those areas where I'd like to see either more development &/or size.

On Friday, I did a concentration on bis & tris, and threw in a few exercises for rear delts and legs / glutes:

Afternoon weight (upon waking after working a night shift): 113.4 lbsAs expected, my weight is up after working last night. Some days, it can be as much as 2 lbs up after a night shift. I'm also working tonight and, therefore, will weigh tomorrow afternoon when I wake up.

Training:Today was a cardio-only day: 30 minutes of high intensity stair intervals.

Nutrition:Total macros:Carbs 303 gmProtein 151Fat 68 gm

Water:5.5 liters

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~